This invention pertains to a fishing rod holder and particularly to a holder that can be accommodated either in the ground or by a holder secured to the bumper of a vehicle.
The prior art is replete with a plurality of fishing rod holders structured and operated for various purposes. In any event, a most popular sport which has been receiving increased attention is the sport of surf fishing. Surf fisherman may employ vehicles such as trucks and so on and drive directly to the beach front to fish. Fishing rod holders as described in the prior art are mainly designed for supporting a rod while the holder is inserted into the ground or into the sand. As such, such holders have sometimes been referred to as sand spikes.
As above indicated, there are many examples of rod holding devices which exist in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,551 entitled FISHERMANS ACCESSORY issued on Oct. 3, 1967 to B. D. Chestnut depicts a fishing spike which accommodates a rod within a tubular member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,902 entitled FISHING ROD HOLDER issued on Feb. 15, 1977 to G. K. Pettee depicts a holder which allows a fishing rod to be inserted in the ground or attached to the hull of a boat. The holder consists of upper and lower members positioned at acute angles with respect to one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,795 entitled FISHING POLE MOUNT AND SIGNAL issued on June 6, 1978 to I. L. Bryant depicts a holder which can be inserted in the ground or attached to a boat. The holder operates in conjunction with an electrical circuit, which circuit provides an adjustable tone signal manifesting an audible sound as to when a fish is caught.
Other patents as U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,775 entitled FISHING ROD HOLDER depict other devices for holding a fishing rod. This patent shows a unique clamping assembly which enables a fisherman to firmly clamp the rod in place while maintaining the reel in proper orientation.
As one can denote from the prior art, there are many embodiments in facilitating the holding of a rod. These devices are not adaptable to perform the dual function enabling them to be mounted on the bumper of a vehicle or inserted into the sand. The devices employ relatively complicated mechanisms to accommodate the fishing rod and are difficult and expensive to build and fabricate. The prior art devices are also capable of rotating or changing their position during operation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved fishing rod holder, which holder includes means for maintaining the rod in a fixed orientation. The invention also describes a unique bracket assembly which can be mounted on the bumper of a suitable vehicle to enable a fisherman to emplace the rod therein instead of in the ground. The bumper assembly also serves as a transport for the rod holders and hence, enables the same to be accommodated by a vehicle without taking up any additional storage space.